ICYMI Press Call Transcript: New Dem Leaders Push to Keep Health Care Costs Low for Americans by Extending ACA Subsidies Without Delay
Yesterday, New Democrat Coalition Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Vice Chair Dr. Ami Bera (CA-07), and Health Care Task Force Co-Chair Terri Sewell (AL-07) held a press call to push for urgent action on a budget reconciliation bill that extends the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies and closes the Medicaid coverage gap.
New Dems successfully secured the ACA subsidies in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and protecting access to affordable, quality health care in the face of Republican obstruction and rising costs remains a top priority for the Coalition.
This effort follows the release of the Coalition's Action Plan to Fight Inflation last week and a New Dem letter to Congressional Leadership yesterday, which call for enacting a budget reconciliation bill that lowers health care costs by extending the ACA subsidies and closing the Medicaid coverage gap. If Congress does not act quickly to extend the ACA subsidies, millions of Americans could lose health care coverage or see their health care costs spike. During a time of global inflation, Americans cannot afford a price hike on their health care.
You can read a transcript of the press call below and read more on this effort here:
Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01): Good afternoon everyone. I am Suzan DelBene, the Chair of the New Dem Coalition, and I want to thank everyone for being with us today.
For those of you who don't know, the New Dem Coalition represents 45% of the House Democratic Caucus. We have 98 members and are growing. Our members really are the majority-makers and the policy leaders in Congress. Last year, New Dems pushed for, and we successfully secured expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies in the American Rescue Plan. And this was a crucial provision that has increased health care coverage and lowered costs for Americans.
In my state of Washington, a record 240,000 Washingtonians signed up for 2022 coverage through Washington Health Plan Finder. 73% of those customers now receive some form of monthly savings on their health plan. 42% of customers now pay less than $100 per month for their 2022 coverage.
But without quick congressional action to extend these subsidies, millions of Americans face the prospect of losing health care coverage or seeing their premiums spike. And during a time of global inflation, our constituents can't afford these increased health insurance costs.
So New Dems are focused on tackling these rising prices. Which is why last week we released an action plan to fight inflation that focuses on reducing rising prices for consumers and our constituents. The action plan specifically lays out the concrete steps that we can take to cut costs and extending the ACA subsidies is a surefire way to keep costs lower for Americans. That's why New Dems are leading this effort to extend the ACA subsidies and close the Medicaid coverage gap as soon as possible.
We sent a letter to Congressional Leadership, emphasizing that any budget reconciliation legislation should extend the ACA subsidies to lower costs and close the Medicaid coverage gap. It's been a top priority of ours since the start of reconciliation discussions.
These subsidies have had a hugely positive impact on Americans lives, and we can't let them lapse. We must cement our progress by enacting a budget reconciliation package that includes the enhanced advanced premium tax credits to keep costs down for Americans and to expand access to health care for Americans living in the Medicaid coverage gap. These priorities have wide support throughout the Democratic Caucus, and we're going to work hard to make sure that we provide that stability and certainty that Americans need.
Now I want to turn it over to the Vice Chair for Outreach for the New Dem Coalition, Dr. Ami Bera from California.
NDC Vice Chair Ami Bera (CA-07): Thank you, Chairwoman. And thank you for leadership on this super important issue. And as the Chairwoman said, I don't look at this as a member of Congress or a Vice Chair of the New Dem Coalition. I look at this as a doctor and someone who used to be Chief Medical Officer for Sacramento County that had responsibility for providing safety net services.
One of the best things we did in the American Rescue Plan was expanding coverage and expanding the subsidies, both for folks that are very low income to get coverage at no cost to them, but then also to expand the upper end of coverage. As they've experienced in Washington State and we've seen in California, we're getting very close to universal coverage right now. And why that's so important is we know one of the best ways to drive down the cost of health care is to actually get people health care, to help them better manage their diseases, to practice preventive care. And the more people that are in the risk pool, the lower the cost to everyone. So that's why this is one of our top priorities as the New Dem Coalition.
We know it's not just good for America's patients. It's also good for America's economy at a time when so many families are facing challenges coming out of the pandemic with the rising costs of so many other aspects of their lives.
It would be a tragedy to not extend these subsidies, because many of those families - even those that don't lose their health insurance - will probably see dramatic price increases in their premiums. So, let's do the right thing. Let's make sure we work with the Administration. Under Chairwoman DelBene’s leadership, we've sent the letter forward to make sure we get this done before the subsidies expire.
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NDC Health Care Task Force Co-Chair Terri Sewell (AL-07): I'm Congresswoman Terri Sewell. I represent Alabama's seventh congressional district – it includes historic cities of Birmingham and Montgomery and Tuscaloosa and my hometown of Selma, Alabama. I'm so proud to serve as Co-Chair of the New Dems Health Care Task Force and to help lead our critical work to lower the cost of health care for average and every American. We know that the Affordable Care Act helps us make real progress in increasing access to quality, affordable, health care coverage by allowing states to expand Medicaid to cover more Americans than ever before.
Tragically, we've seen Republican-led states, like my own in Alabama, refuse to expand Medicaid for purely political reasons – leaving millions of Americans without access to health care. Thanks to the leadership of President Biden and the New Dem Coalition. We built on the progress of the ACA by including enhanced premium tax credits in the American Rescue Plan. This provision helped us enroll millions more Americans in the health care marketplace and help 1/3 of consumers find a health care plan for less than $10 per month.
But because states like Alabama refused to expand Medicaid, we know that about 4 million Americans are still uninsured, including nearly 300,000 [people] in my home state of Alabama. These hardworking Americans are stuck in what we call the Medicaid coverage gap. They make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but too little money to afford their own health care premiums. This is completely unacceptable, and we're here to say that any reconciliation legislation must extend these enhanced ACA subsidies and close the Medicaid coverage gap.
Closing the coverage gap will be transformational. It will provide health care coverage to the 4 million Americans and 300,000 Alabamians who are currently locked out, but it will do so much more. When I think about access to health care, I think about the distance that so many of my constituents in rural Alabama have to travel to access health care and the hospitals that have closed or are at risk of closing. That's why Medicaid expansion is one of the most important issues when it comes to rural health care.
There are at least 135 rural hospitals that have closed since 2010, seven of them in Alabama. The writing is on the wall – nearly 90% of rural hospital closures in recent years have been in states that did not expand Medicaid prior to the closure.
Closing the gap is also an equity issue. Over 60% of the people in the coverage gap in 2019 were people of color. Expanding coverage will allow these individuals and all Americans to see a doctor, obtain medication, and afford life-saving care. Expanding Medicaid also has huge economic benefits for the states. It will generate new economic activity for states and increase employment, business and consumerism.
We know that our failure to act will have real consequences. If we let these enhance premium tax credits expire, 30,000 Alabamians are poised to once again become uninsured. Those who have not gotten coverage because of the Medicaid gap would go uncovered. Americans need and deserve access to affordable and quality health care. And we owe it to them to act now.
We must pass a reconciliation bill that expands the ACA subsidies and closes the Medicaid gap. Thanks.
Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01): Thanks Terri and thanks everyone for being here. New Dems are committed to getting legislation across the finish line to extend these important subsidies, to close the Medicaid coverage gap, and keep health care affordable and accessible for all Americans.
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